{"id":5538,"date":"2020-11-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realchristmastreeboard.com\/?p=5538"},"modified":"2024-11-26T18:02:13","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T23:02:13","slug":"two-thirds-of-kids-prefer-a-real-tree-for-christmas-but-what-about-santa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/press-releases\/two-thirds-of-kids-prefer-a-real-tree-for-christmas-but-what-about-santa\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-Thirds of Kids Prefer a Real Tree for Christmas \u2013 but What About Santa?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"subheader\">Five- to 10-year-olds name the best Christmas tree pickers in their family, set limits on what they would and wouldn\u2019t do to make sure their tree is the real deal, and estimate just how long it takes to grow one (give or take 500 years).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CTPB 2020 Kids Survey\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3nciANkK23w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HOWELL, Mich., November 10, 2020 \u2013 <\/strong>You can add one more thing to your child\u2019s Christmas list this year: they want a <em>real<\/em> Christmas tree. In a September survey of 200 children ages five to 10, a full two-thirds of them (66%) said \u201creal\u201d vs. \u201cartificial\u201d (34%) when asked what kind of Christmas tree they like best. When asked what they think the big man himself prefers, they had little doubt. Nearly all of them (96%) believe Santa puts up a real tree for the holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no shortage of research into what adults think about Christmas trees, and of course, as members of the industry, we\u2019re true believers in keeping it real,\u201d said Marsha Gray, executive director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/\">Real Christmas Tree Board<\/a> (RCTP). \u201cBut there\u2019s nothing like looking at the holidays through the eyes of children, so we decided to ask them what <em>they<\/em> think. Their answers made us smile, but also made us think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Free to be you and me \u2026 and to leave up the tree.<\/strong><br>For adults, Christmas trees can come with convictions akin to sports rivalries. Artificial? Not in my house you won\u2019t. A star topper vs. an angel? Heresy! Put it up before Thanksgiving? I\u2019ll pretend I didn\u2019t hear that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But according to the survey, kids are, for the most part, pretty open-minded. When asked \u201cHow long do you think people should have their Christmas tree up?\u201d nearly half (47%) chose \u201cfor as long as they want.\u201d That seems like a pretty good step toward Peace on Earth. Just under a third (29%) went in for a more traditional view, choosing \u201cfrom the day after Thanksgiving to New Year\u2019s Day.\u201d A few (5%) were more rigid, allowing \u201cjust Christmas Eve and Day only.\u201d Seventeen percent seemed to have embraced Dicken\u2019s call to \u201c\u2026 honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.\u201d They said leave the Christmas tree up all year long. The last 2% of respondents went their own way with answers like \u201cAfter Mardi Gras,\u201d and \u201cUntil Grandma\u2019s birthday.\u201d (No word on when Grandma\u2019s birthday actually <em>is <\/em>though \u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Parents for the win when picking the tree \u2026<\/strong><br>Kids have kudos for their folks when asked \u201cWho in your family picks out the best Christmas tree?\u201d Nearly half (48%) said mom, and 29% said dad. Kind of a bummer for dad, but he\u2019s still far ahead compared to siblings. Only 1% of kids named their brothers or sisters as the best tree-pickers. As for themselves? Twenty percent claimed the title while 3% took the high road (after all, there is no \u201cI\u201d in \u201ctree\u201d) and answered, \u201call of us.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2026 but how do you <em>really<\/em> feel, Heath?<\/strong><br>The holidays are notoriously a time of stress and anxiety, but when it comes to heading out to get the Christmas tree, parents are pretty happy to do so (or at least pretend to be.) When the kids were asked \u201cHow do your parents act when it\u2019s time to get a tree?\u201d nearly nine in 10 (88%) said, \u201cEager and excited.\u201d That\u2019s compared to 8% who said, \u201cThey wish someone else would do it for them,\u201d 2% \u201cthey are annoyed and impatient,\u201d and 3% \u201csome other mood.\u201d A few of the accompanying comments suggest a possible gender divide with several saying, \u201cmom is excited, but dad is not.\u201d One respondent named names, saying, \u201cMom gets happy. Heath gets mad.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Make me an offer.<\/strong><br>The survey challenged kids to put their money where their hopes are, presenting a list of options and asking, \u201cIf you had to do something special in order to have a Christmas tree, which would you do?\u201d Giving up one month of their allowance came in next to last, with only 19% agreeing they\u2019d trade cash for the pleasure of a real tree\u2019s company. On the bright side, 73% said they would be willing to clean their room if it meant a tree was in the offing. Helping out in the kitchen came in next at 58%. Half of the kids said they would \u201cbe nice to their brother(s) or sister(s) for an entire week\u201d to earn a tree. But just a quarter (25%) said they would \u201cgive up video games for an entire week\u201d for the same trade-off. Only four percent were unwilling to do <em>anything<\/em> to bring a real tree into their Christmas, choosing the \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do any of these\u201d option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Speak to us of trees and memories and time.<\/strong><br>While the first part of the survey consisted of multiple-choice questions with a few opportunities to add color commentary, the second part was entirely open-ended. Here\u2019s what kids had to say on a number of Christmas and Christmas tree topics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked to talk about their Christmas tree from last year, recollections included the prosaic (\u201cIt was fat at the bottom and smaller at the top,\u201d), the passionate (\u201cbig-white-real-tree-decorated-SOOOOOO-nice!\u201d), the descriptive (\u201cIt was gold and red and elegant\u201d), and the empathetic (\u201cIt looked so nice and happy.\u201d) &nbsp;At least one memory was tinged with resignation: \u201cMom and Dad don\u2019t let us decorate the back side against the wall.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See, mom and dad? They remember. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, kids remember quite a bit. Survey questions about last year\u2019s gifts, holiday clothes, and dinners yielded vivid \u2013 and often excitable \u2013 replies: \u201cMy doll! My bike! My slippers!\u201d (A three-exclamation point Christmas is all any of us can ask for, isn\u2019t it?) \u201cI wore a red sparkle dress and black tap shoes,\u201d said one young lady. \u201cChurch pants; button shirt,\u201d said one young man. \u201cNothing,\u201d said one young naturist (presumably). Pancakes, shrimp, \u201cChristmas fettuccini,\u201d tacos, ham, tamales, potatoes, pie, and pizza (\u201cNo. We did not have pizza,\u201d interjected mom on that one \u2026) made the list of Christmas dinners \u2013 or as one respondent described it: \u201cThanksgiving food. Nana makes it every Christmas.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked how long they think it takes to grow a real Christmas tree, kids answered with conviction, vague guesses, and occasionally great precision. \u201c50 minutes,\u201d one specified. \u201cThree-hundred days,\u201d said another. \u201cSixteen to seventeen weeks,\u201d said a third. One can only hope those three are destined to become close \u2013 and meticulous \u2013 friends. The real answer is seven to 10 years, by the way. But it\u2019s hard not to prefer the beautifully enigmatic \u201cforever and longer\u201d that came from one young poet. A million days and a million years were mentioned by a million kids \u2013 okay, a few kids anyway. It turns out location is key, though. \u201cA very, very long time,\u201d was one reply. \u201cUnless it\u2019s in the North Pole. It\u2019s magic there.\u201d But most often, respondents said it takes \u201ca very long time to grow a Christmas tree\u201d (just one <em>very<\/em>), perhaps because, as one child explained, \u201cThey are special.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We feel the same way, kiddo. We feel the same way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Survey<\/strong><br>TRUE Global Intelligence, the in-house research practice of FleishmanHillard, fielded an online survey of 200 children ages 5 to 10 fielded from September 10th to 11th, 2020. All parents who responded to the survey routinely celebrate or observe Christmas and had a child between the ages of 5 and 10 currently present with them at the time of the survey. The parents were enlisted to assist their children in answering questions, if needed, based on the child\u2019s age.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Know Your Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Established in 2015, the <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/\"><strong>Real Christmas Tree Board<\/strong><\/a> (RCTP) is a national research and promotion program whose mission is to share the benefits of fresh Christmas trees with consumers through promotion and public relations, while engaging in research to better serve our customers and growers. The USDA provides oversight of the RCTB to ensure transparency and accuracy in its communications. This press release was developed and distributed by the RCTP.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The <strong>National Christmas Tree Association<\/strong> (NCTA) is the national trade association representing the Christmas tree industry. NCTA represents more than 700 active member farms, 29 state and regional associations, and more than 4,000 affiliated businesses that grow and sell Christmas trees or provide related supplies and services. The NCTA represents the Real Christmas Tree community with one voice to protect and advocate on the industry\u2019s behalf.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The&nbsp;<strong>American Christmas Tree Association<\/strong>&nbsp;(ACTA) is&nbsp;a 501(c)(3) corporation run by CEO Thomas Harman<sup>2<\/sup>. Harman is the founder of Balsam Hill, a seller of artificial Christmas trees.<sup>3<\/sup>&nbsp;The majority of artificial Christmas trees are made overseas.<sup>4<\/sup>&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SOURCES:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1<\/strong> <em>Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of an Artificial Christmas Tree and a Natural Christmas Tree<\/em>; Ellipsos, Montreal, Quebec, 2009; pages 6 &amp; 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 <\/strong><a href=\"#\">https:\/\/apps.irs.gov\/app\/eos\/displayCopyOfReturns.do?dispatchMethod=displayCORInfo&amp;CopyOfReturnId=631785&amp;ein=352342528&amp;country=US&amp;deductibility=all&amp;dispatchMethod=searchCopyOfReturns&amp;isDescending=false&amp;city=&amp;ein1=&amp;postDateFrom=&amp;exemptTypeCode=al&amp;submitName=Search&amp;sortColumn=ein&amp;totalResults=1&amp;names=American+Christmas+Tree+Association&amp;resultsPerPage=25&amp;indexOfFirstRow=0&amp;postDateTo=&amp;state=All+States<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.balsamhill.com\/about-us\">https:\/\/www.balsamhill.com\/about-us<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.datamyne.com\/knowledge-center\/indicators\/christmas-tree-imports-growers-come-short\/\">https:\/\/www.datamyne.com\/blog\/indicators\/christmas-tree-imports-growers-come-short\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five- to 10-year-olds name the best Christmas tree pickers in their family, set limits on what they would and wouldn\u2019t do to make sure their tree is the real deal, and estimate just how long it takes to grow one (give or take 500 years).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":25720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5538","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-press-releases","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5538"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61711,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538\/revisions\/61711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.realchristmastreeboard.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}